New Mexico’s outdoor recreation industry could be key to recovery from COVID-19

NEW MEXICO – New Mexico’s outdoor recreation industry could be poised as a key driver of the state’s economic recovery from fiscal despair amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the virus spread starting this spring, New Mexicans saw movie theaters close, restaurants shutdown and concerts cancelled.

But the state’s hiking trails and mountain peaks could fill the void left by restrictions on entertainment options intended to stem the spread of coronavirus.

To that end, New Mexico’s Outdoor Recreation Division — an arm of the state’s Economic Development Department — made two special appropriation requests to the Legislature for next year to be considered during the 2021 lawmaking session convening in January.

The Division requested about US$3.22 million to fund its Great New Mexico Trails Package, an appropriation that would provide stimulus funding to local communities and agencies with the intention of developing and maintaining hiking trails throughout the state.

Source: Albuquerque Journal